Vibration transmitting system



Feb' 24 1953 D. o. SPROULE VIBRATION TRANSMITTING SYSTEM 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed Deo. 18. 1948 Dammi @rr SPVOUQ HTTWS- Feb- 24 1953 D. o. sPRoULE VIBRATION TRANSMITTING SYSTEM 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Deo. 18. 1948 Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITE!) ,S'iA'l'ES PATENT OFFICE VIBRATIONI TRANSMITTING SYSTEM` Donald. Orr Sproule,v London, England, assignor.,

by mesne assignments, to Kelvin & Hughes Limited, Glasgow', Scotland, a company of Great Britain' Application December 18, 1948, Serial No. 66,120 In Great Britain December 24, 1947 8 Claims.

Thus, as explained in that specification, if a slurred Wave train, that is to say a Wave. trainwhose frequency varies progressively, is applied to one endv of an. elongated Wave-transmitting body to produce transverse vibration of this end and if the length of the body and the material ofA which it is composed are4 suitably proportioned, itA can be arrangedl that the peaks of the. wave trainv arrive at. the opposite end of the body substantially simultaneously owing to the fact. that the velocity of Wave transmission along the bodyA varies with the frequency. In. this, way it4 is possible to produce pulses of amplitude whichv is much larger than. that of the exciting` wave train.

Arrangements of thisv kind havelv many applications such for example asto radar and echo.- sounding, some of which applications arev -referred to in the. previously-mentioned British patent specication.

In one example given in the previously-mentioned- British patent specificati-ou, the velongated. body isl of brass about twelve hundred cen-.ti` metres long,y =.1 centimetre wide.- and 0.0.1 centi-V metre thick and is coiled into a spiral of five regularly-spaced turns the mean radius of which. is about 38.1 centimetres. An electro-acoustic transducer may be used `to apply to one end of :.1

the body a wave tra-in having' a duration of 0.05. secondand a frequency increasing from 4000 cycles per second at the beginning to 2000.A cyclesA per second at the end of the train, therecan be obtained from an electro-acoustic transducer at the opposite end of the bodyl a pulse or wave train, of duration only about 0.0005 second and of much greater amplitude.- than the exciting Wave train since substantially all the energy of the Wave train, isy in effect compressed into a much shorter time.

The requirements which the present invention ls concernedv to. meet are that the supporting means for the, elongated body should be sufficiently robust mechanically for use under practical conditions 4and yet. will not damp. the vibrations which are being transmitted from one.r

end of. the elongated, body to. theother to, an un due extent..

According to the `present invention-a vibration "transmitting system comprises an elongated body along which transverse vibrationsv are to be transmitted. and a supporting system for the body, the supporting system comprising a sup,- porting frame structure and lamentary supports. extending between the4 body and the. frame. structure at spaced points. along .the lengthl of the body for suspending the. body from the structure, the filament-ary supportsv being inclined at acute angles With respect to the direc-V tion of the said. transverse vibrations and lying in support planes inclined, preferably at right angles, to. the, longitudinal axisoftbe body and someI of the. illamentary supports extending to one and some to the opposite side. of a reference plane containing the said longitudinal axis- `and the direction of vibration in order to pro. vide stability in directionsperpendicular tol this plane.y Conveniently the nlamentary supports are arranged in. pairs, the supports of. each pair extending from. the same region. of the elongated body upon .opposite sides of the* said reference plane. The. lamentary supports shouldy be of a material having a high ratiov of'strength to Weight. A. suitablematerial is nylon.

In. some. applications of the invention, for ine stance in. its application to the device set'forth in the, patent specification already referred to; the elongated body isA of great length and in order thaty the. device may be as compact as possible the body is conveniently formed into the shape of a helix. Although the` present inn vention will be described( with particular refer-rence. to an elongatedbody arranged-,in the; form. of a helixA it is toy be. understood. that it is not limited to this form of. b;odyv,.butv maybe ap.- plied t0 elongated bodies arranged in many` other forms..

In the following description it- Will also `be as# sumed that theelongated body to be'supported is a flat stri-p of steel or other suitable metal coiled into the form of a helix.

It will furtherI be 4assumed that the vibrations of the strip are. in a direction perpendicular to theY major surfaces of. the strip.

It is evident that since it is `desirable.that reflection ofv transverse vibrations at `the, points of support should be negligibly small, it is. neces-- sary that. the energy taken up by eac-h support for each vibrationA passingsuch support shall. bevery small in comparison with the energy pass.- ing. the support., The energy taken. up by. a. Support, may bedue. to the .motion ofthe added. ymass at thev point .of supporter to the tension or stiifness of the material of the support or it may be due to a combination of these.

Referring to Figure l of the accompanying drawing, there is represented somewhat diagrammatically a view in cross-section of the helix H having its axis at A. Means, not shown in the figure are provided for setting one end of the helix in vibration in the direction of the arrows V. The supporting structure is represented by two rows of pegs P fixed rigidly to some suitable frame indicated at B. It is to be understood that although two rows of pegs are shown, in practice three rows would usually be provided, these being arranged in planes through the axis of the helix making equal angles with one another. In Figure 1, the turns of the helix are shown supported by nylon threads F which are passed around the pegs P and the turns of the helix H. The distance of the turns of the helix from the supporting pegs is indicated by L and in this example the lengths of the filaments are also equal to L. v

The arrangement of Figure 1 suifers from two disadvantages. Firstly, the turns of the helix are not located axially and any slight irregularity in the material may result in two adjacent turns of the helix touching one another and thus impairing the performance of the strip. Secondly, as will be more fully explained later, for a given type and cross-sectional size of filament and for a given value of L, the force exerted upon the turns of the helix fora given displacement in a radial direction, and therefore the energy stored as potential energy in the supporting filaments, will be a maximum when the supporting iilaments are arranged in the manner shown in- Figure 1.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 2-8 of the accompanying somewhat diagrammatic drawings in which Figure 2 is a view in axial cross-section on the line II-II of Figure 3 of a part of a structure in accordance with the present invention in which the elongated body is in helical form. Figure 3 is a view in cross-section on the line III- III of Figure 2, Figures 4 and 'I illustrate. in axial cross-sectional views. other ways of supporting a helix in accordance with the invention, these figures showing only one half of the helix and one row of supports, Figure 5 is a view in plan of a part of an arrangement in accordance with the invention illustrating a feature thereof, Figure 6 is a view in cross-section on the line VI-VI of Figure 5, and Figure 8 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 showing an arrangement for supporting three co-axial helices.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the supporting filaments F are arranged in pairs, two of the filaments extending from the same region of a turn of the helix on opposite sides of a plane perpendicular to the axis A of the helix and containing the direction of vibration indicated by the arrows V in Figure 2. The plane referred to also substantially contains the longitudinal axis of the strip in a turn of the helix. The filaments are supported by pegs P fixed to longitudinal frame members N having their ends fixed to annular frame members D. One extremity G1 of the helix is. as shown in Figure 3, set in vibration by an electro-magnetic transducer E1,electric oscillations being applied toterminals T1 of this transducer. These oscillations may. for example, as described in the prior British Specification No. 604,429 already referred to, be in the form of trains of oscillation the frequency of which progressively increases. 'l'he length and other dimensions of the helically wound strip, its material, and the wave-form of the trains being such that at the end G2 of the helix remote from G1 the higher frequency oscillations have overtaken the lower .frequency oscillations, owing to their higher velocity, with the result that the duration of the train at G2 is much shorter than that of the train at G1 and the amplitude of the former train is much greater than that of the latter. The train at G2 is picked up and converted into electrical oscillations by a transducer E2 having output terminals T2. It will be understood that in Figure 3 the end G2 is not visible sinceit and the transducer E2 lie in a different plane (parallel to the paper from the end G1 and transducer E1) f The weaving of the nylon threadin the arrangement of Figures 2 and 3 may be carried out as follows. One end of the thread is attached to peg P5, the thread is carried around turn I (the left-hand turn) of the helix, around peg Pl,

around peg P6, turn 2, peg P2, peg P1, turn 3, peg P3, and so on.

The advantages of the arrangement according to the invention, shown in Figures 2 and 3, over that of Figure 1, will now be explained. The compliance c of the supporting filament or thread F is defined by the relation c=s/f. where s is the elongation of the filament produced by a force f. From the well-known formula for the extension of a fibre of length L1, radius r and Youngs modulus M, there is obtained the relation s/f=L1/1rr2M and thus c=L1/1rr2M. From the latter equation, it is seen that the compliance is proportional to L1. The energy W stored in an elastic fibre is given by the equation W=s2/2c. 1

Applying these equations to the example shown in Figure 1 and Figures 2 and 3 it will be assumed that in each case the distance of the turns of the helix from the pegs is equal to L and that the displacement of the turns of the helix in a direction V perpendicular to the axis of the helix owing to vibration of the turn is equal to S. lin the case of Figure 1, the displacement S is in the direction of the filament so that the energy stored in the filament due to.

such displacement is equal to s2/2c. In the case of Figures 2 and 3, however, the length of the filament is given by LizL/sin 0, where 0 is the angle between the filament and the axis of the helix. The displacement S of the strip is not in this case in the direction of the filament and the component s of the displacement in the direction of the iilament for a displacement S of the strip in a direction radially with respect to the axis is eoual to S sin 0. Substituting these values in the eouation for the energy W which is stored in the filament, it will be seen that the energy W2 in the case of Figures 2 and 3 is given by W2=s2 sin3 @M2M/2L. The corresponding energy W1 which is stored in the case of Figure 1 is given W1:s21rr2M/2L.

From this it will be seen that for a given displacement in the direction V of vibration of the strip, the energy stored in the arrangement according to the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3, as compared with the energy stored in the arrangement of Figure 1, is decreased by the factor sin3 0. Thus by making 0 small, this factor can be made very small. When 0 has the Value 30, the energy stored in'the support in the arrangement of Figure 2 is only -1/8 of that in the arrangement 'of Figure s1. Where :1215?, the ratio of the energy .stored in the arrangement ofFigures 2 and 3 `compared with that in the Figure 1 arrangement `is approximately 1/100.

Figure 4 shows an alternative arrangement of the supporting filament and illustrates the way in which the filament may be woven. In this case two threads, for example of nylon, are used, one of these -F1 being shown in kfull lines and the other F2 in dotted lines. In order to weave the thread shown in dottedlinesone end is tied to the peg I, and a bobbin carrying the thread is passed through the helix from left to rightl and held in such a way that the thread lies along the inside ofthe turn of the-helix.

between turns 2 and 3 of Ythe helix and passed,k

over peg P3, and so on. Assuming that the helix has only Yeight turns, after the loop vbetween the turns 'l and P8 of the helix has been looped around the peg 8, the end of the vthread is fixed to peg P9. The full line thread is fixed at one end to peg P5, and the bobbin is threaded as before through the helix from left to right and loops are drawn around the pegs Pi, P1, etc., the end of the thread being fastenedto the peg PI3.

It Ahas already been mentioned that vthe `eiiect of the supporting thread is to enlarge the oliameter of the helix. The radial :force `exerted upon the thread and the reaction of the thread accurately locates the turns of the helix in relation to the pegs.

In order to facilitate the weaving operation, the strip forming the helix may be woundon a framework of bars arranged parallel to the axis of the helix, some or all of these bars being grooved to give axial .location tothe turn. These bars are capable of making each turn conform approximately to a cylindrical surface. After the weaving operation, the supporting'bars are removed.

The threads shown in dotted and full lines `in Figure 4 are preferably arranged to -lie in one plane and, as already stated, vpreferably three such sets of supporting filaments are provided, the planes thereof being spacedapart by about 120 as in the arrangement shown fin Figure 3.

In some cases, particularly where the strip mar,

terial of which the helix is composed is very thin, supports may be provided in `more than three planes, these being preferably symmetrically disposed around the axis of the helix.

In some cases it may be necessary to `use 'a relatively strong supporting bre and it may then be found that appreciable reections occur at the points of support. Such reflections decrease the usefulness of the system and may be overcome or reduced by the use of the phenomenon of destructive interference." The way in which this can ybe done will be described with reference to Figures `5 and 6. In these gures there is shown a supporting bar B corresponding to the bars of like reference in Figures 2 and 3. In Figures 5 and 6, however, instead of one row of pegs at each 'supporting plane, there are provided two rowsof pegs P1?.

A hook, 'such as a crochet hook, `may then be Vused of supporting threads, one F3 'associated with the pegs P1' and the other F4 withv the pegs Pz'.. The distance 'U between the points at which the threads Fs and F4 -are fixed to the pegs and the distance apart of the points at which the threads of the two sets `engage the turns of the helix are arranged to be substantially equal to l@ fo'f the wave length or mean wave length of the vibration to lbe transmitted. Each of the sets of supporting threads may be as shown in Figure 4 or, if the wave length of the oscillation to be transmitted Aalong the strip is not very large, one supporting thread, say the full line thread in Figure 4, may be provided around one'of the Vsets 'of pegs P1' and the other, say the dotted thread, may be provided around the other .set of 'pegs P2'. Owing to the spacing of theh'supporting threads, the reection from a wave 'travelling "along the strip produced at the rst point of support encountered will be substantially cancelled, or at least reduced in amplitude, by the echo from the second point of support since the second reflection will'lag behind the rst reflection by approximately 180l in phase.

The way in which the weaving may be carried out in order to produce the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 will be understood from the description which has been given of the weaving in the case of Figures 2 and 4.

Although the arrangement o-f Figures 2 and 3 is simpler-than that of Figure 4, since only two .threads are used to support each turn in each region of supportinstead of forr'threads in the t arrangement of Figure 4, it will be noted that the'strip is not located axially, and in order to .provide such location, in the arrangement of Figures 2 `and 3 adhesive is applied between the threadrandthe turn orf the helix to prevent relati-ve movement.

`A fur-thenmetho'd of arranging the slipper-ting threadsin'accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure '7. In this arrangement also only ztwo threads .are provided to support each turn in each region of support. .As in the arrangement of .Figures 2 .and 3, adhesive should be applied between each turn and the thread to .prevent sliding movement 0f the vstrip over the supportingfthread. The way in .which the weav ing Amay be carried :out in the `anrangernent of Figure 7 will be understood from the ,previous description.

`In vonesarrarugement constructed in accordance with Figure 4, there vhas been used a steel strip 131 metres' long, 0.012 inch thick and 0114 inch wide for'med'into a helix such that each turn contains l mete 'of strip. The supporting threads were of nylon consisting of .l5 fibres of. 3 deniers each fibre anda twist of "5' turns .per inch.

It will be appreciated thatit may be convenient to .provide a second helix outside the first, the strip forming the second helix being a continuation olf `that .forming the iirst, and a third helix outside the second helix and so on until the requiredlengthfof strip has been accommodated.

.Assuming .that electrical `oscillations are used togenerate the lvibra-tions applied to one end of the strip .and that the vibrations aft the other end of the strip'. are converted into electrical oscillations, it vwill usually be preferable to provide an odd number of helices since the transducer employed for introducing the vibrations at one end will then be displaced relatively to the transducer employed for .picking up the vibrations and vtransformingrthem into electric-al oscillations. In

7 this way coupling between the two transducers is reduced.

One arrangement embodying three helices H1, H2 and H3 is shown in Figure 8. The end G1 of helix H3 is excited by the transducer E1. The opposite (lower) end of this helix is joined at G2 to the adjacent (lower) end of the helix H2. The other (upper) end of the helix H2 is joined at G3 .fto the corresponding end of the helix H1 cooperates with the output transducer Ez.

The helix H1 is supported by laments arranged .in any of the ways described from longitudinal frame members B1; the helices H2 and Hs Iare similarly supported from frame members Bz and B3 respectively. The laments supporting the inner helix H1 are arranged to lpass through gaps between the turns of the helices H2 and H3 and the laments supporting the helix H2 .pass through gaps between turns of the helix H3.

In all the arrangements described, instead of using pegs to support the filaments, other equivalent means may be used. For instance suitable deformations may be provided upon the longitudinal frame members B to perform the function of pegs.

If preferred the supporting filaments may run inwardly to frame members within the helix.

The .arrangements of the present invention may, as already stated, be employed for suspending vibration-transmitting bodies of shape other than helical, for instance of spiral shape or a shape embodying a .plurality of ,parallel spirals, or even a straight body in cases where the length of the wave-transmitting body is not required to be so great as to render the system inconveniently large.

In the case of a straight body, at each of the regions of support, the threads will lie in a plane which will be inclined with respect to the direction of elongation of the body. In most instances, the .planes of the supporting threads will be perpendicular to Athe direction of elongation, and if the straight body is horizontal, each plane will be vertical.

In the case of a helically elongated body, the direction of elongation is tangent to the helix at any particular point under consideration and is also perpendicular at such point to a radial plane `passing through such point and through the axis of the helix.

I claim:

1. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body for transmitting transverse vibrations and .a supporting system for said body, said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and a plurality of iilamentary supports extending between the body and the frame structure at each of a plurality of regions spaced apart along .the length of the body for suspending the body from the structure, .the lamenta-ry supports at each said region being inclined at acute angles with respect to the direction of the said transverse vibrations and lying in a lplane inclined at each of said regions to the direction of elongation of the body and at least one of the filamentary Supports extending to one side and at least one of ithe lamen-tary supports extending to the opposite side of a further plane containing the said direction of elongation and the direction of vibration at the said region in order to provide stability in directions perpendicular to this last named plane.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first named plane is inclined at substantially.

8 each of said regions at right angles to the direction of elongation of said body.

3. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body in the form of a helix for transmitting along the length of the elongated body vibrations in a direction transverse with respect to the helical longitudinal axis of said body, and a supporting system for said body, said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and at least three sets of filamentary supports, each set comprising a pair of filamentary supports extending between a region at which such pair enga-ges the helix and the frame structure, the sets being angularly displaced relatively to one another around the axis of the helix, said lamentary supports being inclined at acute angles with respect to the direction of saidtransverse vibrations and with respect to the axis of said helix, and lying in planes substantially parallel to the axis of said helix and one of said lamentary supports of each said pair extending to one side and the other extending to the opposite side of a plane normal to the axis of said helix and passing through the region at which such pair engages the helix.

4. A vibration transmitting system comprising' an elongated body in the form of a helix for transmitting along the length of the elongated body vibrations in a direction transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of said body, and a supporting system for said body, said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and lamentary supports extending between said frame structure and said helix, said iilamentary supports being inclined at acute angles to the axis of said helix.

5. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body in the form of a helix for transmitting along the length of the elongated body vibrations in a direction transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of said body, and a supporting system for said body, said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and at least three sets of lamentary supports, the said sets being spaced apart angularly around the axis of said helix and said lilamentary supports extending between said frame structure and said helix and being inclined at acute angles to the axis of said helix.

6. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body in the form of a helix for transmitting along the length of the elongated body vibrations of predetermined wavelength in a direction transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of said body, means for applying transverse vibrations to said body, and a supporting system for said body, said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and at least two sets of iilamentary supports extending between said frame structure and said helix, the point of attachment of each lamentary support of one set to a turn of the helix being spaced from the point of attachment to the same turn of the helix of a lamentary support of the other set by substantially a quarter of the wavelength of said vibrations.

'7. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body for transmitting transverse vibrations and a supporting system for said body, said body being in the form of a plurality of coaxial helices having their ends connected together for the transmission of vibrations in series through said helices, and said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and separate lamentary supports connecting each of said helices to said frame structure, each of said lamentary supports being inclined at an acute angle to the axis of the helices.

8. A vibration transmitting system comprising an elongated body for transmitting transverse vibrations and a supporting system for said body, said body being in the form of a plurality of coaxial helices having their ends connected together for the transmission of vibrations in series through said helices, and said supporting system comprising a supporting frame structure and separate lamentary supports connecting each of said helices to said frame structure, each of said lamentary supports lying in a plane containing the axis of the helices and being inclined at an acute angle to this axis.

DONALD ORR SPROULE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

